Cavaliers roll, Z hurt
James scores 37 points in rout of 76ers. Ilgauskas sprains left ankle early in Hughes' first game back
By Brian Windhorst
Beacon Journal sportswriter
<!-- begin body-content -->CLEVELAND - The sweat-stained air smells sweeter, the hotel beds are softer and the wasabi for the postgame sushi has extra tang.
For the Cavaliers, life is charmed right now. On virtually every level, they seemed to be peaking, which is apropos considering the season is heading toward its climax.
They smashed the Philadelphia 76ers 124-91 on Tuesday, running their winning streak to a season-high nine games. Now the longest winning run since 1997, the Cavs (45-29) have clinched no worse than the No. 5 spot in the playoffs, and their magic number to earn No. 4 and homecourt advantage is three.
The highlight-filled evening saw them set a season high in points and margin of victory as they overwhelmed the 76ers (34-39), a team that had beaten them the past two times. Every player on the active roster contributed, including Larry Hughes, who made his return from a 45-game absence and scored 10 points coming off the bench.
The only dent in the euphoria was a left ankle sprain center Zydrunas Ilgauskas sustained two minutes into the game. That will keep the Cavs from declaring themselves 100 percent healthy for the time being. X-rays at Quicken Loans Arena were negative, and an MRI performed at the Cleveland Clinic was negative, too.
It is not deemed serious, Ilgauskas flew with the team to New York late Tuesday but likely will not play tonight against the Knicks at Madison Square Garden.
That prickly detail aside, the night was a bed of roses for the Cavs.
LeBron James had a typically prolific game, piling up 37 points, seven assists and four steals in just 34 minutes on the floor. He made four of the Cavs' 11 3-pointers and benefited from Philadelphia's run-first, play-defense-second style of play. He made 13-of-24 overall and has scored 35 points or more in seven games in a row.
``I'm just in a zone right now. I'm hitting shots and we're winning ball games,'' James said. ``We're becoming a great team and it is coming at the right time.''
The emphasis was on team, and currently that is accurate. Once solely dependent on James to make plays, during their current run, the Cavs have been getting so much production from their role players it is hard for coach Mike Brown to take anyone out of the game.
With Ilgauskas out, Drew Gooden, Anderson Varejao and Donyell Marshall scurried to fill his absence. Gooden, getting a series of plays called for him for the first time this season, hit 10 of his first 12 shots on the way to scoring 23 points.
Varejao picked up his first career double-double, coming off the bench to score 11 points and grab 14 rebounds in 34 minutes. Marshall scored six points and picked up 10 rebounds. Add Hughes to that list, and the Cavs' bench players piled up 48 points.
Not to be forgotten, Flip Murray scored 16 points.
The 76ers were mostly hapless despite being in a struggle to hold the final playoff spot. Allen Iverson scored 38 points in 38 minutes, getting fouled 12 times in the process. But the rest of his teammates were content to allow the Cavs to speed past them, be it on fast breaks or simple drives to the basket. The Cavs put up 18 fast-break points and 56 points inside.
``I think we're playing good basketball,'' Gooden said. ``We asserted ourselves early and set the tone.''
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... This game get's my vote for best overall team preformance of the year, maybe tied with the thrashing of the Pistons earlier. Just a total team effort tonight, with the defense and offense clicking, the players hustling and shooting the lights out. 9 in a row and Hughes is back... This team is actually starting to make me beleive a run in the playoffs is possible...
